The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Notice how the apostle Paul describes the Christian life. First, it is lived in the body. That means that you will always feel the pull of the flesh. You will always find yourself in conflict. You will find yourself lacking courage, losing heart, and lamenting your inconsistency. You will struggle with sickness, temptation, weakness, and eventually death. We live this life in the body.
Second, the Christian life is also lived by faith in the Son of God. We live this life by exercising faith in Christ in relation to every circumstance of life. This means it is active, not passive. Grasping the gospel doesn’t simply mean believing Jesus died and rose again. Grasping the gospel means believing Jesus is with you, that He is at work in you, and that He will sustain you. It means living your life in the body, with all its struggles, by faith in the Son of God.
Aren’t you glad that the Spirit of God is with you in everything you face this week? You may be facing challenges that seem beyond you. It’s not enough to say to yourself, “My past is forgiven, so I need to try and do my best this week.”
Jesus gives you the Spirit, as freely as He forgives your sins, as you believe the gospel. He says to you: “Your sins are forgiven. Now go face the challenges of this week, knowing that I am with you always.” That is the gospel!
Are you more focused on living the Christian life in the body with all of its weaknesses and challenges? Or are you more focused on living by faith (forgetting that you are still in the body)?
